Fusion & Acquisition

💳 Booking.com launches the "Genius Rewards Visa Signature Credit Card" in the US, targeting travelers with rewards like 6% travel credits for bookings on its platform, and aims to boost direct reservations. Cardholders automatically become Genius level 3 members, enjoying 10-20% stay discounts. U.S. market holds promise, with direct bookings already rising from 60% to 65% in a year. Booking seeks to counter digital banks like Revolut, enhancing its travel ecosystem. Over 80% of cardholders desire improved travel experiences.

🏠 Safe Harbor, acquired by Blackstone Infrastructure for $5.65 billion less than four months ago, has purchased Monaco Marine, providing access to prestigious Mediterranean ports. Monaco Marine operates nine strategic sites in Monaco and southern France for superyachts up to 90 meters. 🛥️ CEO Baxter Underwood praises the service in locations like Saint-Tropez, Antibes, and Monaco. Blackstone’s Heidi Boyd highlights the expansion of existing infrastructure while maintaining a "people-first" culture.

🚀 SKY acquires JetBlue Ventures, JetBlue Airways' investment arm, to enhance profitability, focusing on core operations. In 2025, European startups drive Travel Tech innovation, challenging U.S. dominance. France Tourisme Tech's mentorship aids startups in digitalization. In 2024, 2.1% of travel startups ceased operations, with 27 out of 38 still in early stages. Only 7% of IATA airlines have invested in startups, focusing mainly on biofuels and AI.

📈 Dr. Wolf Schmuhl of trivago highlights the acquisition of Holisto, enhancing trivago's user experience and reservation process. This strategic move helps trivago deliver a fixed commission model, benefiting smaller advertisers. The acquisition contributes to trivago's continued success, marked by a 17% revenue increase in Q2 2025, marking the third consecutive growth quarter. Johannes Thomas, trivago's CEO, celebrates this momentum, bolstering the trivago Book & Go initiative.

📈 Mews, reconnu par l'IDC MarketScape 2025, est désormais un leader mondial des systèmes de gestion hôtelière (PMS), après avoir été nommé Major Player en 2022. L'IDC MarketScape évalue objectivement les fournisseurs dans des secteurs technologiques complexes. Mews se distingue par des capacités produit avancées et une solution de paiement intégrée, transformant le PMS en un moteur de revenus. Les groupes hôteliers recherchant une plateforme efficace et diversifiée doivent considérer Mews.

🚀 Chalo, a leader in Indian public transport technology, upgraded its data infrastructure with Quantiphi and Snowflake, enhancing operations in 67 Indian cities and 23 internationally, cutting data migration costs by 50%. 🇮🇳 Gold Medal partners with TProfile to streamline flight booking via API for UK travel agents. 🛫 Pangea Aerospace rebrands to Pangea Propulsion, raising €23 million to focus on space propulsion systems. 🚀 H55's electric aircraft technology makes the Bristell B23 Energic 30x quieter in cruise, improving training conditions with 60 dB noise levels. 🌍

✈️ Israeli startup AIR raised $23 million in a Series A round, led by Entrée Capital, to accelerate the development of its eVTOL aircraft and expand its U.S. presence. The cargo eVTOL offers a 160 km range and 220 km/h top speed, supporting 250 kg. 15 cargo eVTOLs are due for delivery this year. AIR has over 2,500 preorders for the AIR ONE model and recently opened a 3,000m² production site in Israel.

🛫 Le 13 juin 2025, LVMH et Accor annoncent une alliance stratégique autour de l'Orient Express avec LVMH détenant 50% et prévoyant une acquisition totale d'ici 2027. LVMH investit aussi dans Flexjet, élargissant sa vision du voyage ultra-premium. Ce projet relie hôtels, trains Orient Express et jets privés. LVMH développe un écosystème intégré de voyage ultra-luxe, incluant des trains historiques, hôtels en Italie et Arabie Saoudite, croisières Belmond, et jets privés Flexjet.

🌍 TUI Group and Bentour Reisen AG have finalized their strategic partnership. TUI, headquartered in Hanover, has acquired a 20% stake in Bentour. In return, the Swiss operator now holds 20% of Nazar Nordic AB, a Scandinavian all-inclusive specialist. The partnership aims to tap into the growing demand for all-inclusive vacations, especially in Türkiye and Greece. Bentour focuses on German-speaking markets, while Nazar Nordic caters to Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland.

💸 AMG, a global partner for independent management companies, announced a strategic investment in Montefiore Investment, a mid-market leader in France and Southern Europe, on August 2023. Founded in 2005, Montefiore manages €5 billion in assets with offices in Paris, Milan, and Madrid. The management team, led by Éric Bismuth and Daniel Elalouf, retains majority control and strategic independence. Montefiore is known for transforming SMEs into sector leaders through operational collaboration.